-     What do you think is a true value of the BSEC as a regional organization and how is it integrated in the world economic relations in the view of new global challenges?

The Black Sea Economic Cooperation, one of the influential and representative organizations in the region, was launched in 1992 as an initiative bearing a specific responsibility for promoting multilateral mutually beneficial economic cooperation and securing stability and prosperity in the Black Sea region. The BSEC conception has been to comprise those who are bound up with the Black Sea and have standing political and economic interests even when sometimes policies and approaches essentially differ. 
The Organization, that tries to address the most substantive challenges of regional economic cooperation and contributes to its project-oriented agenda, is also called for developing the common principles of regional cooperation as part of the integration process in Europe and a higher degree of integration into the world economy.
I will not be mistaken if say that the BSEC–EU interaction in particular after the milestone meeting in Kiev on February 14, is of potential importance to the future of a result-oriented cooperation in the Black Sea region as it has a greater impact to address the real needs of the region.
The BSEC has become a major instrument in the process of intensification of the Black Sea strategies and plays an important role in its development and formation of shared values and interests. Addressing the challenges which BSEC Member States encounter, and the difficulties affecting the multilateral process, the Organization’s strategy should concentrate on the comparative advantages of regional cooperation, the priority sectors, infrastructures  and investments and the strategic significance of the region in the context of the wider European economy.
 
-     What are the priorities of the BSEC economic agenda?

From the very beginning, as it was provided for in the BSEC Chapter, the Organization was aimed at fostering cooperation among the member-states in the major economic fields – energy, transport, agriculture and agro-industry, health care, environmental protection, tourism, science and technology, communications, trade, collaboration among customs authorities, combating organized crime etc.
Gradually, along with the mentioned priorities, the new ones, such as good governance and institutional renewal, development of small and medium entrepreneurship, emergency assistance, combating international terrorism and others have emerged in the Black Sea region and found their place on the BSEC agenda.

-    What kind of joint programs does the BSEC carry out with other international organizations?

There is a number of international organizations the BSEC collaborates to in different formats. With some of them it signed Memoranda of Understanding (UN, EU, CIS).
I would mention just one of the initiatives – Black Sea Trade and Investment Program – which is executed by the UNDP. The Program is aimed at promoting investment and trade links within the BSEC region. It creates the capacity within the Black Sea business support institutions to take advantage of intra-regional trade and investment expansion opportunity. The beneficiaries of the Program are small and medium-sized enterprises and business support organizations of the BSEC member states.
As you know, one of the last presentations of the Program was organized in Yerevan on April 3rd this year with the efforts of the Armenian Development Agency.   

-     As you mentioned, the BSEC is a project-oriented organization. How can a member state make use of the BSEC funds for project implementation?

There is a Project Development Fund operating within the framework of the BSEC. The Fund, that provides financial support to eligible proposals and projects, was established for the purpose of facilitating the elaboration and promotion of projects with a focus on regional cooperation and major economic development in the BSEC area.
 The Fund operates on the principle of voluntary contributions from the BSEC member-states, related bodies, observers and third parties. The amount of contribution is 30.000 USD or Euros. Only entities from those member-states who made a contribution may have priority to benefit from the Fund.
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank is another financial institution operating within the framework of the BSEC. The Bank is established by the BSEC Member States and supports regional economic cooperation by providing project financing and supporting public and private enterprises in its member countries. In recent years, the BSTB invested 2.1 million Euros in the “Beer of Yerevan” CJSC, 23 million USD in the “RusAl Armenia” CJSC and 3 million USD in the ACBA (Credit Agricole Bank Closed Joint Stock Company).
Due to the efforts of the Government of Greece a new financial institution, the Hellenic Development Fund, has been established recently. The BSEC has been included in the Official Development Assistance Programs of the OECD which allows the Organization promoting through the Fund economic cooperation and development projects in the region.

-What challenges are currently being faced by the BSEC as an organization for regional economic cooperation?

The fundamental principles of the BSEC, which is determined to promote a lasting and closer cooperation among the states of the Black Sea region and to enhance the mutually advantageous economic cooperation, are provided for in the BSEC Charter’s Preamble and secured in a number of provisions of other statutory papers of the Organization adopted by the member-states.
At the meantime, the delegations of some member-states to the BSEC Organization have been applying continuous efforts to raise global and regional political issues of a sensitive nature including those of international conflicts and to include the politically motivated formulations in the respective documents.
This approach is inconsistent with fundamental provisions of statutory documents of the BSEC and tends to shift the forum into one of deadlocked and time-wasting discussions on unsettled political conflicts and, accordingly, could not be acceptable for the most of BSEC member-states who feel the fate of the BSEC keenly.  
Besides, referring to the recent letter of the Turkish Foreign Minister addressed to the BSEC Ministers of Foreign Affairs, it is to be noted that despite the unsettled issues existing in bilateral relations between our countries, we share the former’s deep concern on new interim as well as international challenges addressing durability of our organization. Indeed, the organization is wasting its precious time also on non-effective and pointless procedural issues, instead of fostering the necessary practical measures to maintain reformation processes within the organization.

-       What are the main priorities of the Republic of Armenia in the BSEC and how do you envisage our country’s prospects within the organization?

Armenia is one of the founder-countries of the BSEC. We have the BSEC representation in Istanbul.
There is a representative of the Republic of Armenia in the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat who is responsible for international economic policy and BSEC-EU cooperation - one of the key operational sector of the organization. A representative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry is a board-member of a number of the BSEC related bodies.
As for the main priority areas, I would single out the following root issues for Armenia within the framework of BSEC cooperation: transport and energy, agriculture, science, technology and communications, education, environment and tourism, public administration, cooperation in emergency assistance and combating crime etc. We have joined to almost all agreements signed in these areas, particularly on transport and energy cooperation. The Republic of Armenia is currently a country-coordinator for energy cooperation.
Since this coming November our country is assuming the six-month Chairmanship in the BSEC. This is a privilege and great responsibility. The Armenian Government and public institutions involved have already set about the preparation activities and proceeding to be thoroughly prepared for duly implementation of their duties during the forthcoming Chairmanship-in-Office.
We, as a BSEC member-state and the next Chairman of the organization, are confident that the BSEC is playing a significant role in the regional as well as the world economic and social life, so we will redouble our efforts to withstand the world global challenges to keep this organization alive forever.